“Master, I have finished preparing your order;” unfortunately, female workers at McDonald’s stores in Taiwan are encouraged to adopt this language. And as part of an annual holiday competition, McDonald’s Taiwan stores participate in an outfit-of-choice competition. A McDonald’s near Taipei Station chose to dress female employees in an anime inspired-maid outfit, complete with bows, pink frills, and thigh-high socks.

I’m all for a costume party, but this seems downright degrading, like a holiday Hooters. The costumes, however, do fall in line with Japanese maid cafe culture, and some women enjoy participating in that culture. The online response is concerning; from December 24th to 31st, people flocked into the McDonald’s to ogle the women’s “model quality looks,” posting videos and making sexual jokes online. And instructing individuals to refer to one another as "Master" is certainly a problem. What do you think of the company's official sanction of such a dress code? Is it demeaning or harmless? Let us know in the comments!